Veylan arrived at what would have been considered a large asteroid by Earth’s standards, though fairly small by Veylan’s. "Upgraded since last time, huh, old friend?" Veylan thought as he steeled himself for the reception he would receive.

  It was a standard rocky asteroid, which Veylan assumed had been mined for whatever mineral it held long ago, evidenced by the signs of drilling around the spot he had arrived at. He looked around at the black void of deep space, noting the distinct lack of lighting that usually came from the larger, more developed planets owned by the bigger corporations.

  Veylan took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "So, this is the kind of crowd you hang around with now, is it?" he muttered as he made his way toward the small, rocky entrance that had been cut into the asteroid.

  As he moved forward, Veylan eyed each individual contraption that adorned the side of the asteroid. He knew none of them were the statues they appeared to be, but rather, each was some kind of deadly creation Khaross had taken to making in his older years.Veylan paused as his eyes were drawn to a pile of what appeared to be broken metal, sitting in one of the alcoves that had been reserved by the other contraptions. His gaze scanned the object. At first, it looked like a jumble of metal debris, but upon closer inspection, Veylan could see twisted, angular metal plates. Though covered in dust, they clearly concealed jagged steel gears and coils.

  Taking in the whole piece, he noted its oddly symmetrical design—it seemed far too deliberate in its placement to be mere debris from one of Khaross's creations. His curiosity piqued, Veylan’s eyes traced it once more, from bottom to top. The metal plates seemed to coil around something in the center, but Veylan couldn’t make it out.

  He followed the plating to the top, and now suspecting something, he made out what appeared to be a sleek, angular head made of black steel. To his horror, he watched as the head lifted off its perch and began to slither down the now-clear rock formation in the middle, until it was squarely on the ground.

  Veylan took a couple of steps back, his hands beginning to glow as he watched the head of what was clearly now some kind of metal snake rise up to eye level with him.

  "Veylaaan... what a pleeeasant surrrprise," the snake hissed, its voice a strange mix of metallic and slithering, each word drawn out like a coil. Even through the unnerving sound, Veylan could hear the sarcasm dripping from its tongue.

  "That’s really fucking creepy, you know," Veylan responded, though he was unwilling to let the magic dissipate from his hands.

  "I figuureeed you would be too scaaaared to face me after the laaaast time," the snake hissed, completely ignoring Veylan’s statement.

  Veylan flinched at that. "In all fairness, that wasn’t exactly my fault," he replied, hoping Khaross would at least agree on that. If not, he was sure the trip would be in vain—and possibly lethal if things went completely wrong.

  "No, it was yourrr, what are you calling him these days? Yourrr emplooyer? Yourrr friend? Eitherrr way, you were implicit in my captuurrre," the snake hissed, its voice dripping with anger.

  Veylan sighed, allowing the visible magic to leave his hand, trying to look as if he felt remorseful. "Okay, look, I get it. I was there, you blame me, and you're probably right to, but you know Sulgar. Once he has an idea, he goes through with it regardless of what anyone says."

  Veylan waited in silence for a long moment. Finally, the snake spoke again.

  "It was probably for the beeeest," the snake hissed, its voice now neutral. "We were getting carellless in what we would go after, our tarrgets getting too biiig. But you could have at leeeast warned me."

  A pause, then the snake’s anger flared up again, its tone dripping with fury. "Though, if I ever see Sulgaaar, I will kiiiill him."

  "I believe there’s becoming something of a line you may need to join for that honor," Veylan replied with a chuckle. "Now, can we at least talk face to face? This snake thing is weird, and you're hard to understand."

  The snake nodded and began to retake its spot upon the stone pillar in the middle of its designated alcove. Veylan heard the scraping of stone on stone and turned his head to watch as what had appeared to be a wall behind him opened up. He looked down the corridor he had originally been walking until he heard a voice shout from the new entrance.

  "If you continue down there, you will walk past an illusion and fall right off the asteroid."

  Nodding to himself, Veylan walked into the new entrance, looking in amazement as the rough asteroid features gave way to smooth metal flooring. The walls transitioned from rough gray stone to a white, smooth material. He looked up and noted the lack of a ceiling—or, more accurately, the apparent lack of a ceiling. He realized that it was some kind of projection of the space and other asteroids around the one Khaross had claimed.

  "Can’t be too careful with security, not with the people chasing me now," Khaross said. Veylan glanced over his shoulder, watching the aged man approach in his ever-perfect black suit. He felt a shiver run up his spine as he looked at Khaross, quickly looking away."So, why have you come here, Veylan?" Khaross asked, his eyes locked onto Veylan as he gestured toward two chairs placed in the center of the room.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  It was a relatively large room, though one could hardly consider it clean. They made their way toward the chairs, and Veylan glanced around, eyeing the various pieces of metal and rock. Tables holding gears were scattered by some of the larger piles, while other spots seemed to hold flesh. Veylan cringed at that but quickly worked to reapply his usual demeanor.

  Veylan estimated there were about ten different workstations strewn about the room, each with differing materials. Still, some materials, like the steel gears, were present at each.

  "Still too distracted to just finish one and move on to the next, I see," Veylan remarked to Khaross, as the man brought them both a drink.

  Veylan eyed the drink for a moment, then took a sip, figuring Khaross wouldn’t need to poison it to kill him in the middle of a room surrounded by his creations.

  "When you have an idea, you must tend to it," was all Khaross replied, as he poured himself a drink of the sweet-smelling tea and sat in the chair opposite Veylan.

  "I ask again—why are you here?" Khaross repeated.

  In response, a small, glimmering blue shield rose around Veylan.

  "You know I don’t like it when you try to read my thoughts, Khaross," Veylan said, his voice laced with annoyance.

  "And you know I don’t like it when people dodge simple questions," Khaross replied, a small smirk tugging at his lips. "Though it was merely a test to make sure none of my enemies had come here under the guise of yourself, trying to get to me."

  "That’s a real threat?" Veylan asked, taking another sip of his tea. His face soured a little at the sweetness; he preferred his drinks much more bitter. Some would tell him that was a reflection of his personality, though they usually had good reason.

  "I forgot you liked that bitter crap," Khaross said, having seen the expression cross Veylan’s face. "And yes, it is a real threat. We robbed some powerful people, as I’m sure you’re aware."

  Khaross's hands tightened around his mug for a moment before relaxing.

  "True enough, true enough. For the record, I didn’t mean for you to ever be captured—or for Alerion to die," Veylan said, his voice dropping into a rare moment of vulnerability.

  Veylan watched Khaross for a moment as he tensed, anger flashing in his eyes before he seemed to age drastically.

  "I know, I know," Khaross muttered, almost to himself. "Things went right for far too long. We were due a knock back into reality."

  He reasoned the words as if they were meant for himself more than Veylan.

  "I miss him, you know. Alerion, I mean," Khaross continued, his voice softening.

  "As do I," Veylan replied, his gaze steady as he watched Khaross, who seemed to drift off into a memory that Veylan was sure he had locked away a long time ago.

  "Anyway, the reason I came here is that we have a mutual acquaintance that I believe we both would like to help," Veylan started, sensing the conversation needed a change in tone.

  Khaross looked at him, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "We do?" he questioned, trying to figure out who they could possibly both know nowadays. Most people they knew either betrayed them, disliked them, or were dead.

  "Brandon. I believe you recently met him," Veylan said, deciding to be honest.

  "How do you know Brandon?" Khaross replied almost immediately, his tone surprising Veylan with the unexpected defense he seemed to show for the man.

  "We’ve been watching him since he arrived on Seldeenya," Veylan said, steadying himself. "We’re aware of the amulet you gave him and the response it elicited, and we were wondering if we could help in any way."

  "No," Khaross replied bluntly, a stony look on his face as he stared at Veylan. "I won’t let you get another one killed."

  He stood, moving toward the tray on the table just behind him, and began to pour another cup of tea.

  "Khaross, we don’t mean to bring him into anything bad," Veylan pleaded, standing as well and moving toward Khaross to place his half-empty cup on the tray. "I’m sure you’ve noticed his potential, and we know what that amulet was. After all, we were there when you stole it. Sulgar and I owe a great sum of money to some people, and all we want to do is help Brandon get to a point where he can enter the upcoming hunts. That’s all. Nothing more."

  Khaross eyed Veylan for a moment, and Veylan was sure he was deciding whether to kill him or not. But he was surprised when Khaross spoke next.

  "There is very little you could do anyway. Brandon’s daughter has also come into the system from whatever planet they originated from. Though she didn’t appear on Seldeenya, my scans tell me that, and the amulet also indicated it, which means it’s most likely slavers. I have some people looking into it, trying to figure out what group it is, but it’s a long shot."

  Veylan thought for a moment, brushing his hand across his face. He mumbled, "I could ask… no, he’s dead… What about—no, he wants me dead… Ah, Ilian."

  He looked at Khaross, who was watching him mutter.

  "Sorry about that. I tend to think out loud—it makes it easier," Veylan said, shaking his head. "I could try and make contact with Ilian. He was part of the Obsidian Corsairs a while back, but I got him out. He owes me a few favors. He might know something. I think they take integrations as slaves, looking for new kinds of classes and abilities. I think they also operate in that area."

  His words came out in a rushed tone as he immediately moved toward where he thought he came in.

  "Veylan, wait!" Khaross called, breaking Veylan out of his trance.

  "Even if you do find out something, what can be done?" Khaross asked, his tone serious. "I don’t want to give Brandon any kind of promise that can’t be lived up to. I’ve made too many of those in the past."

  For the first time, Veylan saw the aging man before him not as some terrifying entity, but as just that—an aging man, worn by the years. It shifted something in him, making him reconsider how he viewed Khaross.

  "I don’t know," Veylan admitted. "But first of all, you know my stance on slaves. So even if we can’t get his daughter—what was her name again?—at least we could possibly stop those scum anyway. Hell, I’ll go myself if I really have to, consequences be damned."

  This time, it was Khaross’s turn to look surprised. "Your debts that large?" he asked, his voice quieter now.

  Veylan nodded his head. "It’s bad. Sulgar tried to continue after you got caught, and I got roped in. He was caught, and instead of being sent to whatever prison they had lined up for us, Sulgar worked out some deal. I don’t even know the specifics—all I know is he’s worried, and it’s bad."

  Khaross sighed. "I don’t like it, but fine. Her name is Sarah. If you find anything about her, you tell me first, and we can decide what to do then. Now, go."

  After a moment, he pointed in the opposite direction to where Veylan was walking.

  "It’s an illusion. You go that way, and you’ll fall into one of my creations—probably would be messy, and I just had my floors cleaned. I don’t need broken Veylan on them," he added, with a wry grin.

  Veylan stiffened, looked in the direction he had originally walked, then back at Khaross with an uneasy smirk. With a slight shake of his head, he turned and headed in the direction Khaross had pointed, making his way back toward the strange snake creature that had greeted him and the ship he had arrived on.